BY DANIEL SCHMIDT
THE OBSERVER
LOACHAPOKA — A local high school track and field coach has earned recognition as one of the nation’s best.
The National Federation of State High School Associations named Loachapoka High School’s Mitchell Chenier as its Coaches Association Section 3 Coach of the Year for outdoor track and field.
That award recognizes Chenier as the top coach in his sport across the NFHS’s eight-state Southern section, which includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
The organization has recognized coaches through the program since 1982, advancing winners from the state level to the sectional and national levels.
When Chenier was called in by LHS Principal Albert Weeden, he had no idea he was about to receive one of the biggest honors of a coaching career that stretches back roughly three decades.
“It was a very big surprise, and I feel very honored,” Chenier said. “I realize it’s a very special award. It was all out of the blue. I was never expecting anything like this, but I’m very, very grateful for it.”
The honor arrived on the heels of what Chenier called a rebuilding season.
Two years ago, the Indians won the state championship and set a program record by winning five track meets in a single season.
This past year, with a large senior class gone, the results did not measure up to that lofty standard, but Chenier said he saw no shortage of bright spots.
Two LHS athletes earned All-State honors: Chenier’s son, Peter, was named to the first-team javelin throw, and Derrion Callaway to the second-team 300-meter hurdles.
Beyond the medals, Chenier said his favorite memories were the steady stream of personal records, from young throwers to distance and middle-distance runners to his female athletes.
Now in his roughly 30th year of coaching across Alabama and Louisiana, Chenier was also clear about why he pushes his athletes.
“The No. 1 goal for me is to push the kids in athletics so they can go and get an education,” Chenier said. “College is so expensive these days, and any help they can get through athletics is a blessing.”
That path is well traveled within the Indians’ track and field program.
Distance runner Jaden Lockhart earned a track scholarship this year, following his sister, who earned one the year before.
Chenier said track trails only football at LHS in terms of helping student-athletes obtain college scholarships. He also has a firm belief about the demands of his sport.
“Track is the hardest sport there is in high school athletics, because everything is individualized,” Chenier said. “Of course, you may have a relay, but you still have to perform your part. Everything takes discipline, and discipline is key. It’s all self-discipline. If you don’t develop that, you will not be successful.”
However, Chenier was quick to turn the spotlight away from himself. He said the award belongs to everyone who keeps the program running.
“Me receiving this award is a combination, it’s not just me,” Chenier said. “It starts with administration and Mr. Weeden, then the faculty and staff and all the support, even down to the cooks and the janitors. They play a major role in the success of athletics. It takes a village, and our village is working well.”
He connects that same discipline to the classroom, where he insists academics come first.
“The same discipline it takes for these kids to do so well in athletics is the same discipline they show in academics, and academics is No. 1,” Chenier said. “We call it Loachapoka University because we want the kids to know we strive for excellence.”
Chenier made a point of praising the wider school community, too, noting that Loachapoka is one of the smallest schools in Lee County yet, by his account, carries one of the lowest discipline rates in the county.
“It’s probably because of how we care for the kids and the message we send,” Chenier said.
As for the season ahead, Chenier isn’t shy about his expectations. With a wave of young athletes coming back and stepping up, he believes both his boys and girls squads are poised for big things.
“You speak things into existence,” Chenier said. “I think we’re going to win [a track and field state championship] this year.”
